This Robotic Lawn Mower Is A Consumer Reports 'Smart Buy' — And It's More Affordable Than You Think

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If you hate mowing your lawn, robotic lawn mowers are for you. The problem, however, is that robotic lawn mowers are not cheap. Even if you can find something that is reasonably priced, it is often an entry-level machine with subpar cutting performance and missing basic features. Fortunately, there are some exceptions to this standard. Take, for instance, the ECOVACS Goat O1000 RTK Robot Lawn Mower. Consumer Reports (CR) gave it the "smart buy" badge, which basically means that it offers good performance at a rational price.

The ECOVACS Goat O1000 RTK also excelled in CR's testing, earning perfect scores for cutting performance, convenience, and safety. Its noise and build-quality ratings, however, fell just short of perfect. The mower is available for about $700 on Amazon, and it was the cheapest of all the robotic lawn mowers CR has listed at the time of writing this article. Its low price is far from its only advantage, though. For instance, unlike many robot lawn mowers, it has camera vision and does not require you to set up perimeter wires.

It can climb slopes with grades of up to 45%, too, and navigate through passages that are only about 2 ¼ feet wide. The mower also has a mobile app that allows users to divide the lawn into different zones, create no-go areas, and set mowing schedules. You can even use the app to adjust the cutting height and direction. Just make sure that you do not set the mowing height too low. Low grass height is one of the common lawn mowing mistakes you need to avoid if you want a lush, green yard.

While CR awarded the ECOVACS Goat O1000 RTK Robot Lawn Mower high marks across the board, its customer reviews paint a more mixed picture. On Amazon, it has a 3.6-star rating at the time of writing. The rating is based on about 300 reviews, with nearly 22% of the reviewers having given the mower only a single star. Not all buyers had a bad experience, though. 

About 53% of the buyers have given the mower a full 5-star rating, too, and left positive feedback. For instance, one buyer said that the mower handled slopes and uneven ground better than expected, whereas another buyer mentioned that the ECOVACS Goat O1000 RTK mowed their entire yard on a single charge. Buyers also seemed happy with its navigation. One reviewer even noted that the mower did a good job of avoiding the garden hose on the lawn and also cut so well around lawn corners that manual edging did not seem necessary. Other than that, buyers also praise its straightforward setup and quiet operation.

As for negative reviews, some owners reported that the mower stopped in the middle of jobs, and it seemed to lose communication with the app. Similarly, a few others noted that the mower has limited replacement-part availability, and it caps the total mapped area at roughly 10,700 square feet. Also, keep in mind that robot mowers might not be the right choice for everyone, and if you're unsure about the change, make sure you consult a lawn mower buying guide and choose the best type of lawn mower for your yard.